


Trust in the Darkness

by kaise531



Category: Room of Swords (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, I guess I'll add characters as i go, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:13:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24622987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaise531/pseuds/kaise531
Summary: In which Kodya chooses to leave everything behind and learn the truth.
Relationships: Gyrus Axelei/Kodya Karevic
Comments: 9
Kudos: 67





	1. Accepting the Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic, so I'm open to any criticism! Characterization may not be accurate in some places, I'm not sure,,, Chapters are probably gonna be pretty short. (Also how do beta readers work?? I don't know if I should have one and at this point I'm too afraid to ask) Anyway I want to push Don out of his stupid wheelchair

Gyrus was silent as he sat near the ship and looked out toward the sword outline on the horizon. The black sun was high in the sky, taunting him. A feeling of loss slowly began to creep up on him as the hours passed. He waited and waited, but there was no sign of Kodya at all. He closed his eyes for a while and he wasn't sure how long he had done it when he finally opened them.

Midday. He wasn’t coming. With a sigh, Gyrus stood up. 'That’s it, then.' There’s no point in waiting any longer. Gyrus ascended the steps of the ship and tried to keep the emptiness out of his heart.

He was about halfway up when he heard the distinct sound of an object whirling through the air, then a thunk as it landed. And, sure enough, an arrow was now lodged between the steps and the door to the ship. Gyrus whirled around.

“I told you not to be so reckless, you didn’t really give me a lot of time to make this decision.” said a blue-cloaked figure with a bow in his hands. Gyrus could have cried. He settled for bounding down the steps and meeting the man at the bottom.

“Kodya, I-“ Gyrus started.

“You already said that you’d explain everything, and I want to believe you.” Kodya tentatively touched the other man’s arm. “You’ve always been reckless, but you also always have a good reason.”

Gyrus smiled slightly. “…Thank you.”

Kodya smiled as well. “Speaking of reasons, is there one you chose this realm specifically?” 

Gyrus looked up. “I guess I was... feeling nostalgic.”

Kodya scoffed. “Nostalgic? For what, me almost drowning?” Gyrus looked mortified and opened his mouth to speak.

“-Relax, I'm kidding.” Kodya laughed and took Gyrus' hand, looking out at the ice-covered lake beside them. “I know what you mean.”

For a while they stood there, reminiscing in their own heads.

“Now,” Gyrus steeled himself. “There are some things I need to show you.”

With that, Kodya allowed himself to be guided onto the ship. Once they reached the top, the stairs retracted and the door closed.


	2. On the Ship (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! A wild Alistair and Maria appeared! Alistair's thirst knows no bounds.

After the doors closed, Kodya let go of Gyrus' hand as he led him through a hallway. They walked into the main area of the ship and Gyrus began punching some things into a holographic screen in front of him.

“This place is pretty big.” Kodya said. “Did you build it yourself?”

“For the most part.” Gyrus said. “There are some parts of the ship I found while traveling.

“Was that what you were leaving for all the time? To build this?” Kodya asked, looking around at the seats and control panel.

“At first. I had some help completing it, though.” Gyrus said. Kodya looked confused at that. “What, did you think I really could have gotten this far on my own?”

“I mean… there’s no one else in this realm, right? It’s not like you can just pop in the room of swords and grab some people without anyone noticing.” Kodya said.

“What about people who’ve never been in the room of swords?” A new voice called out from a doorway.

Kodya whirled around. “But that’s impossible! The only way to access the other realms is through the room of swords!”

“The only way that Don’s told you…” Gyrus added under his breath.

A short bearded man strode into the room, smiling, and reached up to hook an arm around Gyrus’ neck. “Oh, anything’s possible when you’ve got this guy around!”

“Heh. Thanks, Alistair..” Gyrus laughed awkwardly. He didn’t know if he liked that look on Alistair’s face.

Alistair released Gyrus and began examining Kodya. “You must be Kodya.” A lecherous grin spread across his face as he took in the man in front of him. “I must say, you are as beautiful as Gyrus here said you were-- I can definitely see what all the fuss was about.” Kodya was shocked and Gyrus looked mortified as he put his head in his hand.

“You said… I’m beautiful?” Kodya asked Gyrus

“Believe me, ‘kid’, he said a lot more than that.” Alistair waggled his eyebrows and Gyrus sunk further into his hand to hide the blush. “In fact-“

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Another person appeared in the room, this time it was a woman with blue hair. She forcefully placed an elbow on Alistair's head and used it as an armrest. Alistair pouted at this.

“Excuse him, he's just constantly thirsty. What he means to say is that we've heard a lot about you.” The woman extended her hand to Kodya. “My name’s Maria. You’ve probably already figured out who this is.”

Kodya tentatively shook the woman’s hand. These two looked friendly enough.


	3. On the Ship (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, so here's a longer chapter! I couldn't resist putting Neph into this story, so here she is!

Kodya hadn’t been back in a while.

Nephthys tried not to be worried, he was only going to the bathroom after all.

But it had been nearly ten minutes. Where was he?

She looked out to the vast, flat plain of ice in front of her and sighed. She should be happy that Kody came out of his depression enough to offer the two go on a supply run together, but she had a strange feeling about it. Like something was about to change.

Amun Ra, did this lake bring back memories. She could still remember that day when Kodya fell in the freezing water. How mesmerized he was by the man who saved him.

Then, her thoughts turned dark. She had encouraged Kodya’s infatuation with Gyrus, and look where it led them. What kind of soothsayer is she if she couldn’t predict Gyrus turning on them? If she couldn’t even predict her best friend’s heart being broken?

Her thoughts were broken as she noticed something on the horizon that had never been there before. A large black object, stark against the snow, stood across the lake. How had she not noticed that? Maybe Kodya had noticed it too and gone to investigate? She had a sense that someone was inside the thing.

Carefully, Nephthys walked along the side of the lake until she reached the hill the thing stood on. A building perhaps? Or a kind of ship? She walked further and saw no signs of life around it. The thing was huge, and if there were people inside, there would be a lot of them. She stretched her senses and confirmed that Kodya was inside. It was odd that Kodya would ask to go on a supply run out of the blue, was this the real reason for the trip?

She could see the outline of a door, but it was too high up and there was no handle in sight. Another check of her senses told her there was a switch nearby. Nephthys felt along the wall for a bit until her hand pressed in and a set of stairs extended from the thing. The door opened with a hiss.

Nephthys waited for someone to emerge from the opening and approached cautiously as no one did. Something in her mind told her that as soon as she went through that door, there would be no turning back. She steeled herself. Kody might need her help.

She climbed the stairs and stepped through the door.

* * *

The interior of the thing confirmed it was a ship. After the small entrance area was a central hallway with branching paths. Without an idea of where to go, Nephthys stayed on the main path.

Soon enough, she was greeted with a large room with four figures inside. Before she could see them fully, she stood parallel to the door to avoid detection. From the spot she stood, she could make out the tail end of a conversation.

“…speak privately for a moment.” A voice said. Then she heard two sets of footsteps as they left the room. She had a strong feeling that whoever just left was important, but they were not Kodya.

Nephthys hazarded a small glance into the room to find Kodya sitting in a chair next to a woman with blue hair. She seemed to hesitate.

“…How much has he explained to you?”

“Only what was in the journal. He said he would explain more if I met him here.” Kodya stated. Who was “He”?

The woman sighed and looked up thoughtfully. “Always so cryptic. That’s one trait he’s never lost.”

“How do you know him anyway?”

“Alastair and I met him a few years back. One moment we were on a beach fighting for our lives, and the next thing we knew he showed up and saved us.” The woman leaned back.

“He never explained that part. How are you able to travel between realms without the room of swords?” Kodya asked. Without the room of swords? Is that how this ship got here? Nephthys leaned in closer.

“That,” The woman stood up and stretched. “Is something you’ll have to ask him yourself, I’m afraid. For now, why don’t I introduce you to the rest of the crew?” There was a glint in her eye as she moved her head to the doorway. “Your friend over there can come too.”

Nephthys gasped as she felt a hand on her shoulder.


	4. Anything You Can't Leave Behind

Nephthys turned in alarm to see a man with pure white hair and piercing red eyes holding on to her shoulder firmly. She looked down and quickly back up. The man was shirtless.

“Hello. My name is Knox. I detected you as soon as you entered and alerted Maria. However, due to your body language, I have determined that you are not a threat.” The man said, expressionless. It was almost intimidating to Nephthys.

“Knox, let her go. You’re scaring her.” The woman- Maria?- said. The hand left her shoulder and the two entered the room.

“Nephthys? What are you doing here? I told you I’d be right back.” Kodya turned to her, looking worried.

“You were gone for almost 15 minutes! I had a strange feeling…” Nephthys looked exasperated. “Kody, what is this place?”

“I-“

Maria quickly stepped in between the two, hoping to calm everything down. Obviously this woman was from the room of swords, and she knew just how to win her over. “Let’s not worry about those details right now. I promise that once you meet the crew, things will start to make sense.” She then started walking, expecting the others to follow.

Nephthys was skeptical, but Kodya was calm as he followed Maria without another word.

“Nephthys. I would advise following Kodya and Maria.” Knox spoke evenly. Tentatively, Nephthys trailed behind the group.

“Is he part of the crew?” Kodya asked.

“Kind of. But he’s not really a person. Knox is what you would call an NPC. We found him while completing a realm filled with robots just like him and reprogrammed him to be an assistant.” Maria stated.

Maria quickly looked back at Nephthys. She was distracted by the walls of the hallway they were walking through. She slowed down to walk next to Kodya.

“By the way, didn’t he tell you to come alone?” She whispered.

Kodya looked away for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something. His expression soon turned brave. “…He told me to bring anything I couldn’t leave behind. Nephthys is my best friend, and I’m not going to abandon her.“

“I see.” Maria sighed. “He told us that he knew you would be making a big sacrifice to come here.” Kodya hummed in agreement.

Maria then looked like she was about to laugh. “Also… Kody?” Kodya blushed.

Knox stopped suddenly in front of a doorway. The rest noticed and stopped a little later.

“What is it, Knox?” Maria asked.

“They are in here.” Was Knox’s response. Nephthys stretched her senses once more. Three figures were revealed to her. Two sitting, one standing.

The group entered the room. The two sitting at the table were a stoic man with one eye and a woman in a green hijab. Their eyes were wide.

The woman spoke first, incredulous. “Is that him?”

“Yep! In the flesh.” Maria stated proudly. “He and his friend have come to join us.”

Nephthys was slightly worried at that. “Wait, join wha-“

Her thoughts were stopped as the woman in green rushed to hold Kodya’s hand in hers. “It’s so amazing to finally meet you! My name is Vela, and this is Bronzo.” She said excitedly, motioning at the man still at the table. He nodded at them with a small smile. “And you are…?” She turned to Nephthys, releasing Kodya’s hand.

“Nephthys. My best friend.” Kodya said evenly.

Maria looked down in thought. “Nephthys….” Her head shot up and she smiled wide and turned to Nephthys. “I remember now! You’re the woman that made the purple glow-in-the-dark psychic rock!”

“Share stone.” Knox clarified.

“Whatever.” Maria waved Knox off. “The point is, we should all be thanking you! That rock helped us out of a lot of sticky situations!”

Nephthys was definitely worried now. “The share stone… But I left that with-“

“Gyrus.” A new figure entered the room, shrouded in shadow at first. He stepped into the light..

“Hinju!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to get these chapters out faster from now on, I know how hard it is to wait for a fic to update!


	5. Hinju!?

“Hinju!?” Nephthys and Kodya exclaimed at the same time.

“How are you alive?? We watched Gyrus turn you into a shadow!” Kodya said, and stepped toward the man he had believed to be dead.

“Ah, I see he hasn’t informed you yet...” Hinju stated cryptically. “I’ll give you the short version.” He made a motion to the table. “Why don’t you both sit down?”

Tentatively, the two friends sat at the table. The man still stood.

“But if you weren’t dead, why all of this? Why not just return to the room of swords?” Kodya questioned.

Hinju sighed. “It was already too late. When Gyrus attacked me, I felt searing pain… and then nothing.”

“The next thing I knew, Gyrus was hovering over me.” He continued. “He looked exhausted. Burn marks covered his body. He apologized to me and explained that he’d meant to capture Don.”

“Don? But why? He did nothing to deserve that!” Nephthys interrupted.

“It looked that way to me too, but then he described Don’s attempt to kill him in that cave and the things he had learned from the shadows.” Kodya wondered… What exactly had Gyrus learned?

Hinju looked down. “He begged me not to return and warned me that doing so would put others in danger. The look in his eyes told me I had no choice. Since then, I’ve been using a fake name to evade his powers.”

Hinju seemed to sense the question in Kodya and Nephthys’ eyes.

“Don is powerful, but he can only manipulate the information he knows of. It was hard for me to accept at first, and being suddenly alone was painful. I think Gyrus was experiencing something similar when he suggested the name Serdtse.”

“сердце.” Kodya tried the name. “Heart.”

Hinju- no, Serdtse smiled fondly. “I could tell it had sentimental value to him, and maybe that’s what helped it feel a little less empty to me.”

Kodya was thoughtful for a moment, and then he remembered something. “When Gyrus asked me to come with him yesterday… he told me that there was a battle coming. What does that mean?”

“In Don’s eyes, Gyrus has stepped out of line. He won’t hesitate to use any means necessary to eliminate him.” Maria answered.

Serdtse was serious. “And we have to be ready for that.”

“All this time, his life was in danger… and he never told me.” Kodya lowered his head. Nephthys set a comforting hand on his back.

Maria was hesitant. “Like I said, he told us a lot about you. He always said that he couldn’t bear to pull you into his mess after all you’d done for him.” Kodya remembered the conflicted look on Gyrus’ face yesterday.

“Where is he now- Gyrus I mean,” Nephthys asked. The rest of the group looked to Maria.

“Alastair had something to say to him. They should be done soon.” She replied. “So for now… Kodya, what made you decide to come here?” Nephthys found herself wondering the same thing.

Kodya stared blankly forward. “…When Gyrus turned Serdtse into a shadow, everyone was focused on his death. But all I could see was the panic and the guilt in Gyrus’ eyes. I could tell he hadn’t meant to do it. There were always rumors, so people jumped at the chance to antagonize him, but I know him better than that. He wouldn’t just leave without a good reason. I came to see that reason for myself.”

Nephthys nodded. “Yes, I admit it was rather hasty to assume he had betrayed us without reason.”

“Well, in my opinion, you made the right choice, Kodya. I’m sure you’ll both make great additions to our team!” Maria stated confidently.

Knox’s eyes and neck suddenly glowed a bright green. “Excuse me everyone, but there is an incoming message from the command room.”

Maria turned her attention to the android. “Go ahead, Knox.”


End file.
